Youth political participation

We know that many young people want to contribute to developing more stable democracies and prosperous societies, and our approach focusses on equipping those people with the skills and knowledge to participate in politics and forge connections with decision makers.

But young people cannot achieve political success on their own. In many countries, the existing political infrastructure creates economic, cultural and social barriers to the participation of young people. That’s why we work to amplify the voices and skills of young people active in the political sphere – be it political activists, youth from political parties or young people from civil society organizations who aim to influence policy-making.

We facilitate dialogue on youth issues – both among young people and between young people and politicians. We also lobby and advocate for youth-sensitive policies so that actors throughout the political system understand that the ideas and leadership of young people will help overcome many of the challenges facing the world today.

The political participation of youth is included in the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of all our programmes and policies, and we work to empower the leaders of the future while making sure all voices are represented today by:

• Equipping young people with the skills and knowledge to effectively participate in politics through our Democracy Schools, where the majority of students are under 35
• Fostering future cross-party cooperation and collaboration by bringing together youth members of different political parties and working on trust-building and networking
• Training youth organizations and civil society organizations to lobby and advocate on youth issues
• Supporting political parties in their ongoing efforts to better accommodate young people’s needs, with the goal of incorporating youth perspectives in decision-making and raising awareness of the capacity and importance of young people
• Lobbying for the inclusion of youth organizations and youth political representatives in multi-stakeholder dialogue sessions, and introducing youth political participation as a theme in dialogue platforms
• Facilitating dialogue between young people and senior political leadership, creating spaces for young people to interact with decision makers and build trust across generations
• Ensuring young people are provided with network-building and mentorship opportunities through interactions with decision-makers during Democracy Schools and alumni events
• Raising awareness and recognition of youth political participation by publishing research, launching media campaigns, and producing audio-visual products that harness the power of youth-orientated media such as social media, online networks, and art, music and theatre.

Youth political participation is part of our larger strategy on empowering marginalized and underrepresented groups in politics, which is one of NIMD’s main objectives. Targeting youth from rural areas, indigenous groups, the LGBTIQ+ community, people living with disabilities and women’s groups leads to more inclusive and diverse programming and initiatives, increasing tolerance and providing opportunities for a shared agenda.